Copyrighted Sept. 30, 1912. 

_^_ ^ 

WITH EYES OF LOVE 






4- 




X 



BY 



CARRIE WYATT BANKS 



The Peace Pipe Press, Publishers 






gci.D :na75 



Wl'TH EYES OF LOVE 

by 

Carrie Wyatt Banks 



SCENE — Give full description of set. 

At rise of curtai)i stage empty, light loir. A 
liO'ise at door ami after a moment Dick enters, 
cautioKslg flashing tlie gleam from a dark-la)tt'/ru 
into the room. He goes quicldg atxnif the rocrm, 
peering into corners) 

Dick — Not much chance for dough in di^; ]>Iace. 
[Makes further search. Discovers evening paper 
on table and. reads headlines by light of his Janters) 
•'Five hundred dollars reward for return of dia- 
mond necklace. No questions asked." (Takes n-xk- 
lace from pocket and holds it to to light.) No qu3E- 
tions asked. Looks like a bait to pinch nie. (Puts 
necklace hack into pocket). Oan't make a raise on 
dat now. They'd get me sure. [Takes step l)ack 
and runs intc- chair.) Got to make a raise some- 
how. 

Mother [speaking off up stairs) — Walter! is that 

you. 

Dick — Gee, some one's coming (hides behind 
chair at left.) 

Mother [opening door at top of landing.) — 
Walter! Not liere. (Comes slowly dcnrn stairs.) 
I thought i lieard a noise.. [Feels her inn; ^.■ ele( 
trie light at foot of stairs.) I'll turn on tlio iight 
It will make it lu'ight ar.d cheerful when he conus 

Dick (takes rerolrtr froni pocket and stand: 
ready. As she nio/'cs a cross stage she bumps int( 
chair.) Blind (he puts gun into pocket and stand 
looking at her.) > 

Mother — Why, i c'iid not leave this chair here. 



Some one lia.s heen here. (^4 siffli of heavy hreath- 
ing bij Dic/c.) There is some one Isere — W]id' is 
here? Speak, please speak. non't 1)3 afraid. 
Xothir.g ':'an harm yon. Only good can ccme her.\ 

Dick {coiiiiitfj slonhi fonvard.) 

Mother — Give me yonr hand. Mow di;] _\ou 
get in here l 

Uick — Through the door. 

Mother— What did yon ccmc f:: ? 

Dick — I was hungry. 

Mother — I'm glad you came here. Aiy wjw 
Walter will be glad to share his lunch with yon. 
He'll be here sone. He's working late at tiie bnnk 
tonight. 

Dick — Lady, 1 lied to \ou. I'm here to steal. 

Mother — To steal ? Then von are a — a— 

Dick—A thief, lady. Dat's right. C'all me In 
my right name, a thief. 

Mother — No, no. I will call you my son. 

Dick^Your son ! I never knowed a mother. 

Mother — Poor boy. How old are you? 

Dick — Twenty years old, lady. 

Mother — Just the age of my other boy. (to<1 
protect him wherever he is tonight. {She foiidhs 
his hands.) You have lost a finger. How Jid it 
happen ? 

Dick — De last time I was in jail. I — 

Mother — In jail! Poor boy. You must prom- 
ise me never to steal again. Tell me, how did you 
get into such a life? 

Dick— Me f adder died when I was about eigiit 
years old, and den I lived in alleys and bunked in. 
ash barrels. De old man was always Inill of 1; )oze 
and I tried to take care of him, but he got in a lig'it 
one night {wipes his eyes.) La ly, I ain't don;^ 
notin' but steal since. 

Mother — F)Ut from now, you will cntc^r into n 
new life. Listen, my son. 1, too, was in ])ris<)n i'oi' 
many years, dealousy, hatred, revenge, drove my 
husband fi'om me. and when lie left our home, h • 
took one of our twin boys. Then came years of 



bodily sufforiii,!^' mid inontnT ;i^-ony. Tlio prisori 
doors nev(M- opcucMl -. nnd tlieJi caiui' a day wlien ' 
could no longei' see the bo;»" that was iei't to me — iii,v 
boy Walter. The darkness Vv^-as intolerable, nn 
bearable. T cnrsed, T raged, and then in iuy agoii;. 
and despair, 1 fell n-pon my knees and pra>-ed (!(>'! 
tb give me Ijaek my sight — to give me back my sight 
just long enough to raise my i)oy. And thei! a little 
hand e]asi)ed mine, even as I elas]i yours now. and 
a child's voice said "Mother, don't he afi-aid, ! will 
lead yon, — I will be \'onr eyes." I ('!as])e<! my Utile 
Walter to my heart and sliowered !iim with kiss(>s, 
and in that moment the ]>eace that "passeth all un- 
derstanding" came to me. And in. all these years, 
njy 1)oy has cared for me. The love that eidered 
my heart that moment l)rough.t to me the true light. 
So you see, my son, 1 too kno^v what it is to have 
1)een m ])rison. But now the doors ai'e oim'U, aud 
we are freed from bondage. {CloiJ: stii/niif/, Itis 
husiiiess.) 

Dick — I got to go, lady. 1 got to go — 
Mother — Won't yon wait and see Walter:' 
Dick — No, lady, no. I got to go — 
Mother — But you will come back, you wdl come 
back tomori'ow '! 

Dick — Yes, lady. I will come back as sooir as 
1 can — 

^lother — Here. Take this, take it. dis|»osi' ol' 
the jewels iu it, — I don't \-alue it except I'oi" the 
good it will do. ()p.en it and give me the pactui'e 
in it. 

Dick (Idkliif/ !)i()()rJi)—(jod. it's me ladder! 
( With .sliiiL'nifi, frcmhrnifj JiaiirJs, lie j)>its it hac/,- on. 
Ihr hih/c) ilere, huly, I can't take it,— I got to 
go. ( !>ilsi lic.^s, and (IS hi' passes her, he sfirups 
floiri! and iah-('s a pica: of Iu:.!- dress in his hands 
and Jiisses if.) 

Mother — Grood night, good night, my boy. 1 shall 
expect yon tomorrow. {lie ei'its, dosinc) door. She 
feds her ivaij across the stage to a stand on. u-hleh, 
yt'.sts a bible, — nothing is said, sJic siniplg feels fh" 



pages cuid funis sci-craJ limcs! loifil slic comes to 
her right passcKjc. (Did tlwu she reads irith her 
fingers. At the. finish of the speech, a heg is put 
into the door, and Walter enters.) 

Walter — Up so hile. iittio luotlicr :' \\'li\-, this 
is a surprise. {Euihiaces hey.) Tell lue the reason. 

Mother — Hearing a noise, 1 came down stairs, 
and I have had snch a strange experience. I fouiirl 
a boy of twenty, jnst the age of yonr t"win bi'other, 
— I found hira suffering and unhappy. 

Walter — Who was lie? 

^loth.er — 1 don't know. But he lias ]^roniised 
to coDie l)n('k tomorrow. 

Walter — Oh, yes, tliat must have been the 
fellow I met a block away from here. He looked 
at me very strangely, and then asked me if I was 
Walter. I was a little startled, but answered 
"yes," and then he gave me this ])ackage, and told 
me to read the evening paper. Let us see what we 
have here? {Und&ys the little package, takes 'out 
the necklace.) 

Mother — What is it, my son? 

Walter — A diamond necklace. {Hands il to 
hrr.) 

Mothei' — A diamond necklace. 

Walter (quicklg tah'ing ))apcr and reading the 
large lieadlincs of rcirard for necklace. Rcj)cats 
reward) — ^?^]otlier, motliev. whv that was the thief! 
Thai was the thief! 

Mother — My sou, my smi ! .judge im»I. h-st \.' 
be .ludgecl. lie I'lomlscd mc \m fcfoi-in: in ciilci 
into a new life; and this is his tirst act. 



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